Phonetic transliteration:
麦 (mài, 'wheat') for 'Max',
克 (kè) for the '-ck-' bridge,
丝 (sī, 'silk') as a feminine suffix marker. The masculine 'Max' is usually rendered
麦克斯 or
马克斯; the substitution of
丝 (sī, a stereotypically feminine character also seen in
爱丽丝 'Alice',
露丝 'Ruth') signals that the bearer is female.
